Former state Sen. Mandy Dawson pleads guilty to tax evasion

Former Fort Lauderdale legislator Mandy Dawson, who became entangled in a U.S. Justice Department probe into “pay to play politics” in the state’s capital, pleaded guilty Monday in Miami federal court to one count of tax evasion and a second offense of failing to file a tax return.

Dawson, who served in the Florida Legislature for 16 years, faces up to six years in prison at her sentencing set for July 20.

Dawson’s plea brings to a close the Justice Department’s 5-year-old investigation into influence peddling in Tallahassee, which revolved around now-imprisoned Hollywood doctor Alan Mendelsohn, who doubled as a Republican lobbyist and fundraiser.

“I am no different than any other person walking the streets of America,” said Dawson, as she stood outside the courtroom, flanked by her attorney and husband.

In late 2010, when Mendelsohn pleaded guilty to a fraud-conspiracy charge, he said in federal court that he funneled $82,000 to Dawson through a former legislative aide when the Democrat served as a state senator during the past decade. As part of the plot, the aide was hired for a no-show job by one of the physician’s political action committees because Dawson “made this request repeatedly,” he said. Read more here.

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